The present invention relates generally to a fireplace insert, and more particularly, to an improved fireplace insert for transmitting heat into a surrounding area.
Conventional fireplaces or hearths have been used in buildings and homes for hundreds of years. The fireplaces have been designed for multiple purposes, but the two primary purposes are to provide heat in the building and to provide an aesthetic light source. While fireplaces have well served the purpose as an aesthetic light source generating a desirable ambiance, they are often inefficient as a heat source, in that the heat is dispersed into multiple directions.
Although wood-burning fireplaces have aesthetic appeal to consumers, various investigations have shown that conventional fireplaces may actually remove more heat from a house than they produce, such that their heating efficiency is quite low. It has been reported that a typical, vertical-back fireplace with an open front is at best ten percent efficient in converting wood to energy and delivering it into a surrounding room, with the remaining portion of the heat energy being discharged through the chimney. In addition, fireplaces may also pull cold air into the house from small gaps around windows and doors. At the beginning and at the completion of the burning of the fire, these convective heat losses are larger than the radiant heat provided by the fire. The large mass of masonry that makes up most fireplaces are poor thermal insulators and readily conduct room heat to the outdoors in cold weather.
To solve the problems provided by conventional fireplaces, several types of accessories have been designed to moderately improve the heating efficiency of the traditional fireplace. In particular, the conventional fireplace insert is known to be the best device to make a significant difference in heating efficiency. The conventional fireplace insert, also known as a convection wood stove, was developed to provide an even and effective heat that warms the surrounding area. Fireplace inserts are appliances that are typically fueled by wood, pellet, or gas, with the fireplace insert fitting into a conventional open fireplace. Some models extend onto the hearth, while others stay flush with the front of the fireplace.
While fireplace inserts provide better heating efficiency, they nonetheless fail to solve related problems, such as having an aesthetically appealing appearance or ease of installation. Although some inserts include aesthetic features such as decorative tile, cast iron, glass doors, or brass trim and handles, they nonetheless often fail to generate the same pleasing aesthetic appearance as the traditional fireplace. In addition, installing a fireplace insert in a chimney can be quite difficult, and moving an insert to clean the chimney or liner can also be difficult, such that it is often best to hire a professional chimney sweep rather than self clean the apparatus.
What is desired, then, and not found in the prior art, is an improved fireplace insert that is easily installed and used in a conventional fireplace and that is able to provide an improved heating efficiency for the area surrounding the insert.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace insert for distributing heat into the area surrounding the fireplace insert.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace insert that is able to draw in cool air and propel warm air into a surrounding area.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace insert that is able to efficiently heat the area surrounding the fireplace insert while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the fire.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace insert that is portable as needed by the user.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace insert that provides a placement arm for holding food cooking devices over the fire.
The present invention for an improved fireplace insert may be used in a conventional hearth having a standard opening below a chimney with an andiron positioned in the opening to hold fuel to be burned to generate heat. The preferred embodiment of the fireplace insert is positioned in the opening of the hearth to substantially surround the andiron such that the fireplace insert will be proximate the heat source.
The fireplace insert includes an arcuately-shaped conduit that is able to substantially surround the andiron on multiple sides. The conduit includes an inhaling end and an exhaling end. In addition, the conduit may be preferably divided into three sections: an intake channel or duct, a base channel or duct, and an outtake channel or duct. Moreover, the intake channel includes a proximal end and a distal end; the base channel includes a first end and a second end; and the outtake channel includes a proximal end and a distal end. In the preferred embodiment, the proximal end of the intake channel is substantially perpendicularly connected to the first end of the base channel, and the proximal end of the outtake channel is substantially perpendicularly connected to the second end of the base channel. As a result, the conduit has an arcuate or substantially convex shape, or a significantly U-shape.
The fireplace insert further includes an intake air filter that is mounted to the inhaling end of the conduit and an outtake air filter that is attached to the exhaling end of the conduit. Moreover, a fan is mounted or positioned inside the conduit proximate the intake air filter. The fan is operable to draw air into the inhaling end of the conduit through the intake air filter. Furthermore, the fan will propel the air through the conduit and out through the outtake air filter into the area that is surrounding the fireplace insert. The outtake air filter will thereby prevent undesired debris from passing through the conduit. The fan is a conventional blower fan that has a conventional electrical power source, such as a battery.
The fireplace insert additionally includes a series of front legs that are connected proximate the inhaling end and the exhaling end of the conduit, and a series of rear legs that are preferably connected to the base channel of the conduit. In the favored embodiment, the length of the front legs is shorter than the length of the rear legs so that, when the fireplace insert is positioned on a ground surface, the intake channel and the outtake channel will each have a gradual incline.
The fireplace insert is positioned inside the opening of the conventional hearth. The andiron and fuel are placed proximate the base channel of the conduit between the intake channel and the outtake channel. The fan is then activated such that air is drawn into the intake channel and circulated through the conduit. The fuel is then burned so as to generate a high temperature. In the preferred embodiment, the fuel is conventional firewood, although any other form of combusted fuel, such as coal or gas, or any other heat source, could be incorporated into the present design to create the desired high temperature.
The combusted fuel will then act as the heat source for the surrounding area. The heat generated will be transmitted to the conduit, such that both the conduit and the surrounded air will be warmed from the heat source. Moreover, the stream of air produced by the fan through the conduit will be heated quickly. Consequently, the air that is expelled by the outtake cylinder will be warmed significantly to be transmitted into the desired surrounding area. Moreover, the stream of heated air will be propelled with a desired thrusting force as determined by the fan to warm a greater surrounding area than a sole combusted fuel in a conventional fireplace.